Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 7: Chamber of Commerce & Industries expressed its concern against the regional discrimination with Jammu and Ladakh, slow progress on sanctioned tourism related projects, non maintenance of roads in Jammu, harassment of business community by the Commercial Taxes Department and failure of the State Government to finalize the Ease to do Business norms.
The Chamber President Rakesh Gupta while addressing a press conference here today urged the Union Government to make the bifurcation in the proposed Central assistance package of seventy thousand crores and make it clear as to what amount in it is meant to rehabilitate the refugees of 1947 , 1965 , 1971 , the border firing victims in Jammu Province , what amount for supporting the Industries in Jammu and what amount to compensate the Tourism related business people including Hotels and Taxi Operators who are running into losses and what amount for flood related losses.
Mr Gupta strongly opposed the discrimination by the JKTDC neglecting the names of Ladakh and Jammu in the electronic advertisement being run on National Channels which only reflects “Kashmir Calling instead of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Calling”. He further advised the JKTDC to make an advertisement to promote religious & Border Tourism in Suchetgarh and showcase Mata Vaisho Devi Shrine, Shahadara Sharief, Kailash Yatra, Budhha Amarnath in Jammu Province and Swami Amarnath in Kashmir.
He said Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has recently announced that Jammu will be developed as a Tourist circuit but nothing has been done on ground in this regard till date.
The Chamber strongly protested that the sanctioned tourism related projects like Gandola , Artificial Lake , Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex , Patnitop Rope way, Bus Stand and other such projects mainly funded by the GOI have still not seen the light of the day due to total inefficiency of the State Government resulting in drop of tourist inflow to Jammu.
The Chamber questioned the R&B Department as to why the roads in Jammu were not being maintained and where was the allocation of money meant for this purpose being spent. The non maintenance of roads in Jammu city has resulted in traffic jamming and damage to all commercial and non commercial vehicles, Gupta added.
He cautioned the Department of Commercial Taxes not to harass the business community in Jammu who are honest tax payers during the festival season.
The Chamber also questioned the Department of Industries on being ranked at the 29th position out of 32 states in India scoring just 5.93% as per the assessment recorded by the World Bank on Ease to do Business. The inefficiency of the Department and rampant corruption has brought disgrace to the State as a whole, he added.
Other office bearers of Chamber of Commerce & Industry present in the Press Conference include Sham Lal Langer, Sr. Vice President, Deepak Aggarwal, Jr. Vice President, Arun Gupta, Secretary General and Ashu Gupta, Treasurer.
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